Kanazawa

I arrived in Kanazawa in the late afternoon, and checked into a hotel next to the station. I spent the rest of the day walking around a bit. Had sushi at a sushi bar in the Omi-cho market. This is first real sushi bar Ive come across - didnt see any in Kyoto. But apparently Kanazawa is one of the places in Japan known for seafood.

The next day I caught main sites of Kanazawa. The cherry blossoms are still out here, and make for a great view of the castle.

Next to the castle is the extensive Kenrokuen garden. On one side it is on top of a hill and there is a great view over town and to the hillside with the mix of trees and blossoms. In the park itself there are interesting old pine trees that have gotten so large the branches need to be supported. 

Here is a classic shot of the stone lantern by the pond. 

 It was still early, and workers were out maintaining the park. They were even sweeping the rocks in the stream.

There is a nice tea house where I stopped for a matcha, and it gave me the chance to relax and enjoy a view of a garden only really visible from the teahouse.

After the garden I went to the 21st Century Museum of Contempary Art, which had fantastic paintings and sculptures.

Finally I went to the Higashiyama Chaya district. This used to be an area of houses where geisha would perform for wealthy patrons. There is one house, called Shima, that is kind of a museum of the arts that were practiced - it has the rooms in the traditional style with paintings and musical instruments.

The rest of the is now shops. Kanazawa is known for gold leaf production, and there is a shop with things from fine dishes and vases to handbags that have gold leaf on them. There is even gold leaf in the drinks! 

From there I went back to the Omi-cho market where I got a large bowl of udon for dinner.

Back at the hotel I did some internet searching and found a bar with really good reviews by tourists. It is a Scottish pub style with a Guinness and a great selection of whiskeys. I get there but it is early and for a while Im the only person. The owner is Japanese but lived in Scotland for a while. He is very helpful for information on things to see and do around Kanazawa. After a while three Japanese guys come in and sit at the bar with me. They are very friendly and talkative. The owner explains to them that if they speak slowly I could speak with them in Japanese, it works out well. They are visiting from a nearby town, and talk about places in the area worth visiting.

By now it is getting late and I go back to the hotel, and get to bed later than I have in a while.

full day in Koyasan

I started the day at 6:00 am with the service in the temple. About a dozen guests at the temple sat in front of a shrine room, where two monks were chanting. The air was heavy with incense, and sitting listening to the chanting was very meditative in itself. Part way through each person got up to the front to bow and offer incense. Then one of the monks gave a talk for about 20 min.

I had breakfast and made my way to the tourist information center to rent an audio tour. There were three main parts to the tour. The first is Kongobuji, the temple that is the headquarters for Shingon Buddhism. Unfortunately no pictures were allowed inside, but there was a series of rooms with beautiful paintings on the screen walls. Some depict the seasons, some depict the journey of the founder of Shingon Buddhism to China. In the back there is also an amazing rock garden.

Next I took a break from the audio tour and went to the Daishi Kyokai center, which is kind of an outreach place. They offer shakyo practice, or sutra-copying by tracing the characters of the Heart Sutra. The person who met me there spoke English and was very nice, and after I finished the sutra-copying we talked for a while. When I told her I had studied Japanese she encouraged me to speak in Japanese for a while, and it went ok!

I continued with the audio tour to the Garan complex. The most striking building is the large, brightly coloured Great Pagoda. Again, no pictures allowed inside, but it was a very interesting arrangement of four large statues of Bodhisattvas, interspersed with pillars with painting of dieties on them. A kind of three dimensional mandala.

At the far end of the Garan complex are older halls and pagodas. All the buildings are reconstuctions of originals which were lost to fire at one time or another, but the oldest reconstructions date back to the 1800s. This old hall is still the location of religious discussion for monks.

After the Garan area I went back through town, stopped for lunch, and then went back to the Okunoin area. Its such an amazing place. I walked all the way to the mausoleum and back again, listening to audio tour records for all the stops I could find. It is interesting to know how many people are interred here. It is apparently an important resting place regardless of the branch of buddism. The 47 Ronin (the basis for a recent movie) are here. Even Honen, the founder of another Japanese Buddhist lineage, is here. The main thing, though, is just the haunting atmosphere of the place.

That night at the temple I noticed several Tibetan monks. One of them happened be in the bath while was there. He said the Dalai Lama was coming to Koyasan the next day! I was leaving the next morning though! I wasn't sure I understood correctly, but later I checked the Dalai Lama webpage and it was true. He was there to give a series of talks. I don't think they were open to the public though, so I probably didn't miss anything.

The next morning I got up early again, and attended the service. This time there were twice as many people and the little room was packed. There was a group of older Japanese all wearing the same white jackets, who I think are pilgrims.

After the service and breakfast I got the bus to Koyasan station and the cable car and the train back to Osaka. I got tickets for Kanazawa and settled in for the several hour train ride.

Koyasan

Yesterday morning was the train ride to Koyasan. This took me from Kyoto to Osaka, and then a change to a different train line that goes into the mountains of the peninsula south of Osaka. It was interesting to watch the landscape change from dense urban where every station was a large, bustling hub of activity, to very remote mountainous where a station was just a platform. The last leg was a very steep cable car ride to the Koyasan area, and then a bus into town.

The town itself is small, full of temples. Most of the temples provide shukubo, or temple lodging for tourists. There is the main temple of Shingon Buddhism, and the sacred square of pagodas and halls called the Garan area. There is also a street of shops and restaurants. At the other end of town is Okunoin, a walk through a forest filled with huge cypress trees that are up to 600 years old, and over 200,000 grave markers. It leads to the mausolem for Kobo Daishi, who founded Koyasan in the 800s.

It is much colder here, and to walk around I had to put on a fleece under my jacket. The temperature drops below zero at night, and I've even seen a couple of patches of snow on the ground.

After walking through Okunoin I went to the temple where I am staying, to check in. I have a nice Japanese style room with tatami mats. Temple style vegetarian meals are served in my room. At 6:00am is a service to take part in.

last day in Kyoto

Today was mostly a day of taking care of things besides sight-seeing. I found an internet cafe and got caught up on the blog. Found a landromat and did laundry. A bit of shopping...

The weather changed today from hot and sunny to cool, cloudy and windy.

For sight-seeing, all I did today was take a bus to Ginkakuji. One of the most visited temples in Kyoto, with a very interesting garden.

Ginkakuji is at the northern end of the Philosophers Walk, the south end of which I saw on my first day here. Wow, what a difference a couple of days makes. The wind has blown a lot of the petals off the trees, and it was nowhere near as spectular as when I saw it before. I guess I got to Kyoto just in time.

The rest of today will be packing and taking it easy, and tomorrow will be a transportation day to Koyasan.

Inari Shrine

Fushimi-Inari is a Shinto shrine in the southern part of Kyoto. It is a large shrine. Apparently most shinto shrines are dedicated to Inari, a diety that was originally for a good harvest, but which evolved into a sign of good business as well. One of the symbols is a fox, which a sheaf fo rice in its mouth.

The shrine is at the base of a mountain and the most striking thing are the trails up the mountain that are covered in tori gates so it is a like long tunnel the winds its way up.

 Each tori gate is paid for by a business, whose name is written on the columns. There is a price list for toris of different sizes.

There are lots of little shrines on the side along the way, and what I think might be graves.

I was here last year. But it was the day I had got the news about my mom's death, so I was just too numb and preoccupied to enjoy it. When I decided to come back to Japan this year, I particularly wanted to come back to this spot.

I spent a good part of the day walking the trails. I make it all the way to the top of the mountain and back, and did a few side trails as well. There are some signs about something called to Kyoto Trail, which makes me think this may be part of  a larger hiking network.

When I am finished at Inari I take a train back to the center of town, and walk to a temple called Kenninji. This was one of my favourite spots from when I was here last year. I hung for a while and did a drawing of a garden. Afterward I when to the nearby Gion area for something to eat and a beer.

Arashiyama

A major tourist spot, about a 20 minute train ride outside of Kyoto, is Arashiyama. It is known for the scenic mountain and river valley, temples, and a bamboo grove. The train station is in the middle of the ordinary-looking part of town, so when I got off the train I didn't really now where to go as the maps I had did not have a lot of detail. So, when in doubt, follow the tour groups.

I arrived at a nice walkway along the river. The mountain side has cherry blossoms mixed in with the other trees, which is quite striking. There are boat tours up and down the river. I follow the path going away from town for a while, and then follow a sign for a lookout. Turned out to be the right way to do, the view up the valley was breath-taking.

A little further and the path took me to a Japanese garden built by a Japanese silent film star, which was well worth a look and had great views back over Kyoto. Next to it is the top of the famous bamboo grove. Very magical setting, despite being full of people.

The bottom of the bamboo grove takes me to the entrance to the garden of Tenruji temple. I explore the garden for a while, but is packed with tourists. Interestingly, I hear more Mandarin spoken around me than anything else.
I leave the temple, and walk down the main tourist street through town to the Togetsu bridge. While the bride is billed as a tourist attraction, it doesnt seem like anything special. However on the other side, on a large island in the river, is a nice area with blossoms along the river, an open area with blossoms for picnicing, and restaurants and food stalls, with a real holiday atmosphere.

Afterward I make my way back through the crowds to the train station, and back to Kyoto.

From Kyoto station I walk to a temple called Sanjusangendo. This is a very old temple building with a large hall containing 1001 statues of Kannon, the bodhisatva of compassion. An amazing sight, but unfortunely no pictures were allowed.

I stop at the station again on the way back to the hotel for something to eat. I found the next thing in fast food. There is no cashier. You order food and pay for it using a machine, which gives you  a ticket. You then take the ticket to the counter to get your meal. Now that now what this is, Ive seen it quite a bit. I wonder how long it will take to come to Canada.

first day in Kyoto

A quick flight from Vancouver to Narita, I think actually slept through a lot of it. The noise-cancelling headphones I bought at the airport must have really helped. At Narita I caught the train to Kyoto easily - slept some more - and walked from the station to the hotel. Enjoyed the Japanese bath at the hotel before going to bed.

My first mission was `hanami` or viewing cherry blossoms. I was wondering if I was going to be too late, but I need not have worried. They are still out in full force, and you don't have to go far to see some. The receptionist at the hotel recommended Maruyama park, near the Gion area, about a 40 min walk from the hotel. I was up bright and early, and it was a sunny day, and I head out. The first great view is along the river, after only a few minutes walking.

I walk to Maruyama park, but it is too early and there is nobody there yet. Not far from it is Shoren-in temple, so I have a look and check out the Japanese garden inside. Its still very quiet and the little temple and garden are very peacefull, and I hang out for a while.

By the time I leave the temple, there are more people about. From a road nearby I see a giant tori gate, which I know is near the Heian shrine, so I walk towards it.

By now it is quite busy with people, both tourists and Japanese, coming to take part in hanami. In back of the Heian shrine is  a park. I remember this from a previous trip to Japan many years ago, and I go inside to see it with the trees in bloom.

Then I continue to the Philosophers walk. This was quite a distance to cover, but it was well worth it. The blossoms along the canal by the walk are spectacular.

I head back to Maruyama park. It is an open area with cherry trees, and tatami mats spread out for people to sit on and picnic. It is very popular. Lots of young people, but also people of all ages and families.There are food stalls all around, like a real festival.

While walking around I often see Japanese dressed in their finest traditional dress, posing for pictures with the cherry blossoms. Mostly girls, but also couples with the guys dressed traditionally as well. I also saw a few people getting wedding pictures taken.

That was definitely enough for the day. I grab some food to go and head back to the hotel and crash.